Rockland masters racers Eric J Goldstein of New City (pictured), Dave, Hoechster of Congers, Frank Priest of Nyack and Frank Finochio of New City who call themselves The Four Horsemen rode to two third places at the Hudson Valley Triathlon in Kingston July 13th. In this sprint triathlon Goldstein took third in the 45-49 age group and Finochio took third in the 50-54.

The race included a 1/3rd mile swim, 18 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Goldstein said this about the race, “Tough uphills coming out of T1 and T2 putting your run on a half mile 7% grade to start.”

Since I’m not a triathlete I wasn’t sure what Eric meant by T1 and T2, so I asked him to make sure it was transition.

Eric added these notes as well. “Right out of the chute to the course start was a half mile uphill at about 7% grade which is semi steep. This then leveled out and is followed by 2 more steeper but shorter sections. You had to hit those sections on the run start and bike start.”

“The bike course was great despite the hill climb start. It was a rolling loop with great wide shoulders and decent roads. I pretty much blazed on the bike and in fact the guy who took second ahead of me was four minutes slower on the bike. There was some wind but I was on my Time Trial bike and knifed right through it in a full aero position.”

They have two big races in August, The Timberman in New Hampshire followed by West Point.

The Four Horsemen will keep us updated on their future races. Please send your own race results and we’ll post them as well.

Would you like to ride on some new roads that professional from all over the world will race on hours after you? Stay at the race headquarters hotel and meet some of the pros. See beautiful Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania on three different rides. We’ll ride the roads of my youth during the Univest Grand Prix, September 5th, 6th, and 7th.
My good friend John Eustice, two-time US Pro Champion and the race organizer brings a European flavor to a terrific weekend of America cycling. Friday we’ll start with a peaceful midday ride in Bucks County and then check into the race hotel. Saturday offers a very special the 100k Cyclosportif ( For more on Cyclosportif ) on much of the same course the Pros will tackle a few hours later in the 107 mile Univest Grand Prix. The Cyclosportif is a hybrid between a ride like the Golden Apple and a professional road race, you will be timed and cheered on by local fans along the course.  We’ll have special VIP access to watch the pros finish later in the day. Sunday we’ll head to Doylestown, a beautiful town for a morning spin. Midday we’ll watch the pros again in the fast Univest Grand Prix Criterium. After we’ll enjoy the Arts Festival  and street fair before heading home. John and I are working on something special for our group during the weekend.
If you are interested in joining me for a terrific weekend of cycling please email me for further details. The cost for per night at the race hotel is $101.52 and the registration for the Cyclosportif is $40.
Please email me if you’d be interested in joining me for this cycling weekend. rkwolf@LoHud.com .

By Khurram Saeed
The Journal News • July 29, 2008

Starting Friday, passengers will be allowed to bring their bicycles aboard Tappan ZEExpress buses.

Bikes previously had been banned on the buses, which are primarily used by Rockland commuters to catch Manhattan-bound trains in Tarrytown and White Plains, because of security concerns by Westchester’s public transportation department.
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That policy was changed following lobbying by Westchester Cycle Club president David Wilson.

“When you really looked at the issue, it really didn’t hold up,” Wilson said this morning. “From my perspective, that seemed pretty far-fetched. You’re putting a bike in there. It’s hard to disguise a bomb as a bike.”

Riders with bicycles will be able to place their bike inside the luggage compartments of the buses on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To read the rest of the story.

This is terrific news for bike commuters as more commuting patterns move to the East West corridor. Great work David.

New City Resident Nicole Doliner participated in the 12th Annual Alzheimer’s Association Memory Ride this past Saturday in Devens, MA.

Ms. Doliner (center) recently lost her father, Harold Doliner, to Alzheimer’s disease. She formed the team “Hal’s Hotties” with team- mates Melissa Guardaro (right) of Valley Cottage and Rondi Loganzo (left) of New City to ride and accept donations in her father’s memory. “Watching my Dad’s deterioration from this horrible disease was devastating. I need to do something positive. “, Doliner said.

Harold Doliner was a community activist in his town and county on Long Island. Harold was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and Veteran of the Second World War. He was very active in his local Kiwanis Club where he spearheaded a drive to send less advantaged children to camp.

Congradulations on a great ride for a greater cause!

My 2007 bicycling season, which totaled about 3,200 miles, came to a crashing halt on Dec. 26.

And I do mean crashing.

On the way home from a 25 mile loop, I tumbled off my bike while negotiating a ramp between the roadway and sidewalk en route to a bike path.

Mensa candidate that I am, I declined the aid of passing motorists and eschewed an ambulance.

I swung my throbbing right leg over the bar of the bike and straightened it, clicked my left foot into the pedal and rode the final 2.5 miles home with one leg.

Yes, my average speed did indeed drop on the last, er, leg of the ride.

About 10 hours later I had three screws inserted in my right hip bone, which had broken near the femur.

The doctor on call at the hospital that night turned out to be a hand surgeon.

There’s a joke in there somewhere but I can’t put my finger on it.

Two days later I was home, pushing around a walker and wondering when I’d be able to climb the stairs or even bend my leg enough to put on my shoes without screaming in pain.

I’d gone from cycling about 100 miles per week to semi-assisted living.

It took me about a month of healing and light physical therapy at home to work my way up to using crutches.

My follow-up X-rays looked good, but when I asked Doctor Hand when I might be able to ride, or whether I’d walk with a limp, she didn’t have an answer. Who knew how much muscle and nerve damage was done by the crash and the surgery?

I started outpatient P/T at the end of January and began swimming laps in mid-February. My routine included treadmill, leg weights, some hamstring and quad machines at the gym, and 10 blessed minutes on the stationary bike.

I was cleared to return to work in March, when Doctor Hand told me the bone had fully healed. “No restrictions,” she said. “But don’t run a marathon.”

Well, who wanted to run a marathon anyway? What I wanted to do was ride my Trek up Terrible Mountain in Vermont.

Once my leg had enough flexibility to get on the bike in the spin room at the gym, I began gradually increasing the time and resistance.

My first post-surgery ride came on April 28, a flat, 15-mile loop. The hip felt OK and being back in the saddle was so good that I didn’t want to stop.

I slowly increased my mileage until I was ready to rejoin my group – I ride in the B- category, meaning we average between 13-15 mph over a 50-mile ride – in early June.

Over the July 4th holiday, I managed almost 140 miles stretched out over four rides in Maine and Cape Cod, including my annual favorite – a 60-mile loop around Martha’s Vineyard.

As of this writing I am back up to between 80-100 miles a week.

My left leg – formerly the weaker of the two – has a lot more work to do, especially when I climb hills.

And although I’m not as strong as last year at this time, the road ahead looks considerably smoother than it did last winter when I was pushing a walker around the neighborhood.

Getting back to tips in the heat from a post two weeks ago.
Bob at ProNet who handles Limar helmets in the USA sent the safety question about freezing helmets to help your head cool to his testing labs. He clearly took Jason’s concerns seriosly saying, “Sorry for the long wait in getting back to you on your question below concerning freezing a bicycle helmet but wanted to make sure we had the correct answer so forwarded it to the experts at the Limar testing lab their reply is shown below.”

As you know, helmet standards include a frozen helmet for testing. For CPSC the temperature is -15C so we know that helmets are not damaged by exposure to that temperature. However, if you feel how quickly a helmet warms up after coming out of the freezer, I would put the cooling effect on the rider at a few minutes, not a half hour. That is because the EPS that makes up the bulk of the helmet has a very low capacity to hold heat. (which also means it has minimal ability to “hold” cold.)

Freezing helmets won’t hurt them (at least at -15C) but is of trivial advantage since that’s when the riders are coolest also.

Below is Jason’s saftey concerns.

I will agree with almost all of the above. I will have to caution anyone trying to freeze their helmet as a means of keeping themselves cooler during a ride. Almost all cycling helmets are made of porous polystyrene utilizing either an in-mold design (plastic shell is seamless with the polystyrene) or cap design (plastic shell is laid on top and a taped seem can be seen joining the 2 together) in either case long after you have ridden with the helmet on not all of the water has been eradicated from the porous sections of the helmet, once you begin to freeze your helmet the water will expand and start breaking apart the polystyrene thus reducing the protection the helmet was designed to provide.

as a former cat 1 racer with a sponsor and and almost unlimited supply of helmets this might be fine for the 1 or 2 races done with helmet that has been frozen but repeated freezing and thawing of any porous substance should be frowned upon.

A cyclists, Christopher Long was arrested during a Critical Mass ride in New York City, July 25th. NYC police office Patrick Pogan claimed Long steered into him in an aggressive manner and knocked him to the ground causing cuts to his forearms.Long was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. This video on You Tube might tell a different story.

The video has caused the Manhattan District Attorney to investigate the incident and NYPD has taken Pogan’s badge and gun while he is on temporary desk duty. 

This press release just in from Westchester Cycling Club president David Wilson.
Stay tuned for more information. Rockland’s tranportation writer, Khurram Saeed is working up the full story on this for tomorrow’s Journal News. Check it out.

Westchester Cycle Club advocacy opens up bike compartments on Rockland buses for cycle commuters
The Westchester Cycle Club scored a major victory in its advocacy for cycle commuters today with the announcement by the Rockland County Department of Transportation that the bike compartments in its Tappan Zee Express commuter buses will finally be able to be used.
The announcement in Rockland came after the Westchester County Department of Transportation rescinded its prohibition on the use of the compartments. Citing security concerns, Westchester had prohibited use of the bike compartments ever since Rockland purchased its 21-bus fleet of commuter buses several years ago. There are room for two bikes per bus.
The issue was resolved through the intervention of WCC President David Wilson. During discussions with local planning officials on cycle commuting, Wilson learned of Westchester County’s stance on the bike compartments. In late June, he appealed to the office of Westchester County Executive Andy Spano to reconsider its policy, noting that the Spano administration has been on the forefront of policies that encourage cycle commuting.
Wilson maintained that the bike compartments did not present a security threat.
“Bike commuting is an important element in developing a sustainable economy in the lower Hudson Valley,” said Wilson. “This will help get cars off the Tappan Zee and off the congested Westchester County roads.”
Rockland Bicycling Club Rita Joachim welcomed the decision to open up the bike compartments to cycle commuters.
“I’m just delighted,” said Joachim. “It’s long overdue. It would be irresponsible civic behavior to maintain the prohibition. We need to encourage more ridership on the buses.”
Among those who would use the service is Lloyd Castillo, of Congers, senior vice president at CBL Path in Rye Brook.
Westchester Cycle Club is a 1,200-member nonprofit organization which sponsors recreational rides and advocates for bike safety, bike helmet use, and bicycle commuting.

I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot at Captain Lawrence Brewery in Pleasantville to see over twenty others preparing for the B level 70 mile ride over rolling terrain. We all rode out in good spirits heading through Pleasantville. The first calls for safety came quickly as the group had to ride to the middle of the road on Marble Avenue at Elm Street. There are two grates with wide gaps waiting to swallow a bike wheel and cause a nasty crash. The ride was peaceful heading towards Putnam Valley through Kitchawan and over the Croton Reservoir. Then came a small climb to Yorktown on our way to Tompkins Corner. But first there was a super descent down Sacor Road and Bryant Pond Road and past an old Tompkins family cemetery.

Tompkins Corner Store was a welcome rest stop, where Fred Rabadi and Rob Penntero welcomed their guests and cooked up a bunch of egg sandwiches. Fred stocks the fridges with many liquid options for a thirsty cyclist, including 32 ounce bottles of Gatorade, and what a deal at $1.50. He tells us that he serves over 50 cyclists every weekend.

During our way North on Peekskill Hollow Road, Avram Karel overlapped a wheel with Barry and bounced off a guardrail. Ave thankfully didn’t get hurt-just a torn tight. Surprisingly this 55 year old has been riding for less then a year after battling a rare auto immune disease called vitiligo since his early forties. Her’s what Ave says about his recently found addiction. “I discovered bicycle riding in April/May 2007 and have become addicted to riding. It’s like a win-win-win situation. I love making new friends, exploring and getting exercise….something I’ve neglected for way too long.” He has recently been searching for protective clothing. The long sleeve jersey is from Canondale which has worked well against the UV rays of the sun. His tights are basic Lycra from Nashbar and his helmet drape protecting his neck and ears is from Sun Precautions  About wearing this he says, “So I look like some kind of arabian clown and other riders must be wondering how comfortable I am in the heat….. fortunately, I seem to be able to handle the heat reasonably well.”

We regrouped before rolling East onto Route 301 past the lakes into Carmel. Heading South through Purdys my calves started to twitch. Popped in a PowerGel and hit the bottles to keep up with the fluids as the heat built. Started to feel better, but about ten miles later the cramps started again. Everyone started to talk about finding a place to stop to refuel. We saw a 7-11 and pulled in. The cue sheet tells us we have about 20 miles left and I hope the Banana I ate will help prevent the cramps.

By this time the group had split up into a number of smaller groups to find their way, some needed to keep their own pace while others knew roads with less hills. My cramps started again and moved to include the hams; never good. But I was drinking and popped my second PowerGel, and kept telling myself “I’ll be fine for the last ten miles.” I jumped yet again into the draft of the tandem piloted by Bruce and stoker Anne with Rob and Hiroshi. Hiroshi is at one with his bike. He rides in total comfort without a wasted pedal stroke or movement. I was fine until the last climb on Chappaqua Road heading up to Hardscrabble Road. My left calf seized and I cried in pain as I tried to unclip so not to fall over. It relaxed with some stretching and I was back on to the top of the hill. From there I just rode with as little pressure on the pedals that I could nursing my legs back to the taste-testing at Captain Lawrence. I first drank plenty of water before my first Liquid Gold to celebrate with the others our 16 mile an hour average. Oh how sweet. Many of the riders enjoyed sandwiches ordered on the road and chatted about the ride at tables set up by friends at the brewery. Cheers and a toast went out to John Milano for a terrific ride. John has been leading rides for four years. He is planning a Beer Run #3 in the future, which will be a century ride. We will let you know when to join the fun.

Cheers to all.

This is the first of many columns from David Schloss, president of the Rockland Bike Club.

As a photographer, writer and educator I spend a lot of time in other cities across the country and across

the globe. In the last year I’ve been domestically to (at least), San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Boulder, Denver, Austin, Chicago, Boston and DC, and a variety of suburbs around those metropolises. Internationally I’ve been to Amsterdam, Belgium, Japan and the UK.

And in just about every place I’ve been the municipal buses have bike racks on the front. Simple to use, it takes just a few seconds to securely put a bike onto the rack and then hop onto mass transit. This is commonly referred to as “intermodal transportation” and it’s a key part of the transit infrastructure.

Only it’s a key part that we seem to be missing here in Rockland and Westchester. There are some buses with internal bike racks, but post-9/11 policies have them off limits to bikes due to security concerns.

But a front-mounted rack makes vastly more sense, they’re quicker, they’re easier to use, they don’t require the bus driver involve themselves with the operation of the storage, and they’re a great solution to intermodal transportation issues.

So why don’t we have them on our buses?

As the president of the Rockland Bicycling Club, I’d be happy to help spearhead an effort to get these purchased and installed on the buses (I’m sure there’s grant money available) and to help publicize their availability. It’s an idea that could increase the use of the buses in the region and reduce the use of single-occupancy cars (which is good for the bus revenues and the environment).

Have any ideas about where to start? Send some email to david@rocklandbike.org.

David, Thanks for writing. Please send David, your comments, but please post them here as well for all to share and comment on. When I lived in Greensboro, NC five years ago they had racks on the front bumper of transit buses and they got plenty of use, the same in Toronto.